Car wheel grinder



Jan. 27, 1953 H. E. BALslGER CAR WHEEL GRINDER 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June '7, 1950 35 f1., s L n B E. n L a n M E Mfg M Jan. 27,1953 H. E. BALslGl-:R 2,626,492

y CAR WHEEL GRINDER Filed June 7, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 l0 v Zhwentot f/meoLD E. Babs/651e (Ittorneg Jan. 27, H953 H. E. BALslGER CAR WHEEL GRINDER 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 7, 1950 .Y m M r R M 0 W/ /mb e 5% fw B w o M H m uw 3am. 27, 1953 H, E 'BALSIGER 2,626,492

CAR WHEEL GRINDER Filed June 7, 195o 4 sheets-sheet 4 :Snvcntox' #Amun BA/.$16572 Gttorucg Patented Jan. 27, `1953 CAR WHEEL GRINDER Harold E. Balsiger, Waynesboro, Pa., assigner to Landis Tool Company,

Waynesboro. Ba.

Application June '7, 1950, Serialv No. 166,560

3 Claims.

to grinding machines, for grinding the wheels This invention relates particularly to machines of railway cars.

In the past, car wheel grinders have been little different from other grinding machines, except for the fact that they usually had separate wheel supports andgrnding wheels for each of the wheels in the wheel and axle assembly. Placing the car wheels in the machine for a grinding operation and removing them afterward neces--v sitatedv a Agreat deal of handling by cranes or other lifting devices.

The rst improvement in this type of machine so fares handling was concerned involved means for moving the grinding wheel supports longitudinally of the machine to an inoperative position suchthat the wheel assembly could be rolled on tracks into the front of the machine and, after a grinding operation, the assembly could pass onthrough the machine and be removed at the rear. This arrangement required a rather expensive wheel mounting structure,` since each wheel sup-v port required a longitudinal as well as a transverse slide.

TheV present invention represents an improvement over' this apparatus in that it requires only a transverse slide for each grinding wheel. The Work supports and Wheel supports are spaced axially a distance greater than the length of the axis. A short transverse backed movement of the wheel supports then provides a clear passage through themachine for inserting and removing the work. The. slightv axial movement of the wheelsv required for adjustment may be effected by shifting the wheel spindle axially.

It is an object of this invention to provide a car Wheel grinder in which the wheel and axle assembly may be rolled into. the front of the machine on a track and removed at the rear of the machine on the same track.

A further object is tov provide aV machine for" grinding ear wheelsin which the vertical space between the surface of the grinding wheels and the track maybe enlarged byitransverse movement of the grndingwheelsupports! to permitl the wheel'and axle assembly lto 'pass through the.'

machine.v

A further object is to provide. means for supporting a wheel and axle assembly on the flanges oi the wheels as said assembly enters and leaves thexmachine..

A further object is to` prov-ide means for effecting axial adjustment of' the wheel assembly inthe machine.

Figure l isl a iront elevation of a car wheel grinder;

Figure 2 is an end Figure 3 is a front porting heads, showing means adjustment of the work.

Figure 4 is an end elevation showing the Work drivingapparatus and the platform tilting means.

Figure 5 is a partial plan View of the platformv and work driving means.

In theA drawings, numeral l0 indicates the bed of the machine; H, a triangular slide member having an inclined surface on which are `formed suitable guides, slld'ably supporting wheel base I2. The grinding wheel I3 is rotatably mounted in said wheel base and driven by motor M. 'Said Wheel base may be moved on slide H manually byr handwheel |15 operating through suitable gearing. or it; may be. moved by power in the form of a motor i6 through suitable gearing to feed screw i9. Said screw is connected to wheel base l2 through nut 3l. Said Wheel may also be adjusted axially by shifting its spindle endw'se by means of handwheel I8 acting through suitable elevation.

elevation of the work supfor eiecting| axial F gearing. Since the design and mounting of both grinding Wheel supports is identical, it is necessary to describe only one.

During a. grinding operation, the car wheel assembly t1V iscarried rotatably on a pair of work centersI 2 0 and 2| in spindles 22 and 23 which are axially adjustable in Work support heads 24 and 25;. At the outer end ofv the left-hand head 25 is a. cylinderr 26v in which is slidably mounted a piston 2.1 connected to center 2l by means of piston rod 28. The center 2D in the right-hand headmay be adjusted axially byscrew 29, which may be rotated either manually or by power. lin thiscase, a gear motor 3u is provided for rotating said-screw. Constant pressure from any suitable sou-rce is maintained in the left end of cylinder 2S lduring grinding so that piston 21, along With the work piece and the work centers, will follow any adjustment ofscrew 29.

The space between the work supports isV occur' pied by a platform 35 substantially iiush with the floor level. Said platform extends the entire width ofy the machine and is pivotauy mounted at the rear thereof on a trunnion 3B. Spaced guides-'31 and 38 support and guide the carl wheels onv their flanges when said car wheels are introduced into the machine and again when they are removed. The front portion 39 of said platform is slightly higher than the rear portion 40. By supporting the car wheels on the anges, it is not necessary to make a break in the tracks in order to engage the treads of the wheels for rotating them.

The means for rotating the car wheels during a. grinding operation consists of friction rollers 45 mounted at a point underneath the front portion of the platform 35 and projecting through an opening in said platform to engage the tread of said car wheels. Said rollers a're driven by motor 46 through chain belt 41. A triangular bracket 48, pivotally mounted about the same center as roller 45 and having its base adjacent said platform, supports an auxiliary roller 49 in tandem relation to said roller 45. The bottom corner of said bracket is connected to one end of a piston rod D attached to a piston 5| in cylinder 52. A bracket 53 forming a part of the head end 54 of said cylinder is pivotally mounted at 55. An

adjustable stop 56 in head 54 limits the movement` of piston I5| and the parts actuated thereby. Specifically, this stop prevents roller 49 from being urged against the work with too great a force. The pivot 55 is slightly to the rear of the platform pivot 36. The reason for this will be discussed later.

The means for tilting platform 35 is a hydraulic jack comprising a cylinder 60 pivotally mounted on a trunnion 5|. An elongated piston 62 slidably mounted in said cylinder is pivotally attached to platform 35 by means of a trunnion 63.

A wheel and axle assembly I1 is-rolled oil. tracks to the flange supporting guides 31 and 38 of platform 35. Said wheels are rolled to the position shown in Figure 4, where they are located by rollers 45 and 49 in a position directly beneath centers 20 and 2|. Fluid under pressure is then introduced into the lower end of jack cylinder 60 to move piston 62 upwardly, tilting platform 35 about its pivot 36. Because of the relative positions of pivot 36 and pivot 55, the car wheels |1 are raised substantially vertically to an elevation where they are in substantial alignment with centers '20 and 2|.

Center 2|] is first moved axially into engagement with the center held in the car wheel'axle by means of gear motor 30, Then` fluid under pressure is introduced into cylinder 26 to move center 2| into engagement with the opposite end of said axle, Pressure is maintained in the head end of cylinder 26 during the grinding operation, so that endwise adjustment of the car wheel assembly may be effected in either direction solely by screw 29 when driven by motor 30. The movement of the Work centers into the axle provides a slight lift to the car wheel assembly, so that the flanges of the wheels clear the guide surfaces 31 and 38.

Grinding wheels 3 are moved rapidly into grinding position by means of feed motor I5. Thereafter, the grinding feed maybe effected either manually by hand Wheels |5 or by some suitable automatic feed. During the grinding operation, the assembly |1 is rotated by frictional engagement of roller :l5-with theftreads of the car wheels. Said rollersare driven through a ohainbelt 41 by motor 46. s

.After the wheels have been ground, uid'under pressure is directed to the rod end ofcylinder 26 to withdraw center 2| from the work. At the same time, gear motor 30 may be actuated to withdraw center 2 D from the Work.

When released from the centers, the assembly will again rest on the wheel flanges on guides 31 and 38. Platform 35 is still inan inclined of, and means for locating said car position, but the wheel assembly is prevented from moving thereon by gravity toward the rear of the machine by rollers 49, which are held in the position shown in Figure 4 by piston 5|. Fluid under pressure is then directed into the head end of cylinder 52, moving piston 5| to the left and oscillating bracket 48 in a clockwise direction, so that rollers 49 drop away from the'car wheels and permit the assembly to roll along the flange guides to the rear of the machine, from which it is removed to another track 1| Fluid under pressure is exhausted from the lower end of cylinder 60, allowing piston 62 and platform 35 to return to position to repeat another wheel and axle assembly.

I claim:

1. In a car wheel grinder, a base, means for rotatably supporting car Wheel and axle assemblies thereon, including spaced center members upon which said axles are mounted, guides along which the assembly may be moved into the machine in one direction before grinding, including a platform substantially flush with the floor level and having spaced guide means for guiding and supporting said car wheels on the flanges thereof, and means for locating said car wheels on said platform in substantially vertical alignment with said center members, including a pair of rollers pivotally mounted in tandem relation on the underside of said platform, one of said rollers serving to engage the tread of said car wheels for driving same, the other serving to limit the extent of movement of the car wheels along said platform A2. In a car wheel grinder, a base, means for rotatably supporting car wheel and axle assemblies thereon, including spaced center members upon which said axles are mounted, guides along which the assembly may be moved into the machine in one direction before grinding, including a platform substantially flush with the floor level and having spaced guide means for guiding and supporting said car wheels on the flanges therewheels on said platform in substantially vertical alignment with said center members, including a pair of rollers pivotally mounted in tandem relation on the underside of said platform, one of said rollers serving to engage the tread of said car wheels for driving same, the other serving to limit the extent of movement of the car wheels along said platform, said second roller being removable at the end of the grinding operation to permit the car wheels to move along said platform to the rear of the machine.

3. In a car wheel grinder, a base, means for rotatably supporting car wheel and axle assemblies thereon, including spaced center members upon which said axles 'aremounted guides along which the work piece may be moved into the machine in one direction before grinding, including a pivoted platform substantially flush with the floor level, means for locating said car wheels on said platform 'in substantially vertical alignment with said rollers in tandem relation pivotally attached to said platform and adapted to engage the tread of a car wheel, movement of said rollers being controlled by a linkage having a main pivot point offset from the pivot point of said platform, and means for elevating said platform and said rollers to place said work in position to be engaged by said center members, the resultant path center' members, including' of said rollers due to the offset pivot points be- Number ing substantially a, straight vertical line. 810,903 HAROLD E. BALSIGER. 1,650,422 2,180,529 REFERENCES CITED 5 2,573,250 The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS 412.523 Number Name Date 10 288,717 McIntyre Nov. 20, 1883 Name Date Blechschmidt Jan. 30, 1906 Brown Nov. 22, 1927 Kaseberg Nov. 21, 1939 Jones Dec. 11, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain June 28, 1934 

